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Archive for May, 2015

Compensating for the strong north west breeze I cast my forty gram feeder slightly to the right in order to have it splash land right in front of me two thirds of the way across what is a wide section of the River Barrow, Ireland’s second longest waterway after the mighty River Shannon. Targeting bream, a size 16 hook baited with four red maggot comprised the business end of a two foot long fluorocarbon tail. Feeding with a mix of crumb, Sensas red magic additive, sweetcorn, hemp seed and 10% horse mix, it was not long before dace accompanied by a few brown trout entered the swim.

Regular feeding kept the silvers interested on what was a sunny but chilly day. Bites were not constant instead coming in short five/ten minute bursts of activity with gaps of up to fifteen/twenty minutes in between. Only having four hours fishing time due to a previous arrangement, it was in the last half hour that things got interesting, a heavier than normal double knock quickening the senses. Now waiting expectantly a second double knock was met with a firm upward sweep resulting in a nicely curved rod and a heavy kicking sensation.

The bream used its broad flank to kite backwards and forwards across the current, however not known for their fighting abilities the fish was quickly brought to the net whence the reason why this species is sought after became apparent. Burnished bronze in colour its large scales reflecting the sunlight, even though weighing not more than 2.5 lbs the bream looked impressive resting in the landing net, a quick use of the disgorger and away.

With time for a couple more casts only, no sooner had my feeder rig touched bottom then a further double knock resulted in a repeat performance. A more spirited fight ended with a heavier bream running 3.5 lbs slipping over the landing net rim, a great end to what had been a busy four hour session……..

Air temperatures are warming after a late cold snap and my thoughts turn to tench. A visit to a known water reveals banks of Canadian Pondweed (Elodea canadensis) growing in the shallow areas and around the perimeter, all told at least half the pond is unfishable. Arranging to meet Thomas at the venue we begin the job of clearing a swim. Putting in about four hours over two days we open up an area of 15 x 10 meters which is more than enough space for the two of us.

Using a garden rake head attached to a suitable length of rope the task is both simple and tiring, chuck the rake head out, let it sink, drag it back through the weed and remove what is gathered. Initially big clumps come away releasing gases from the mud which fizz on the surface. Space appears quickly but this is deceptive as one now has to go through a process of gathering the broken off pieces which litter the area, some but not all floating on the surface. Eventually though, even allowing for the chest waders, damp and muddy the job was completed, now for Mr. Tench.

Setting up 25 gram feeder rigs we cast towards likely spots along the invasive weed edge as this signifies where the water deepens, a likely area where tench may feed. Employing a combination of red maggot and sweetcorn bites are scarce, only small perch and rudd showing an interest. It is possible the cold snap of recent weeks may have put the tench back a fortnight, if so with temperatures now rising our hard work will shortly be rewarded, of that I am certain…….

Perch are a well known yet at the same time an unknown species, appreciated and yet unappreciated in equal measure. Striped tigers, residents of backwaters, marinas, underwater obstructions and the underside of moored boats, for a lot of us anglers they were probably our first fish caught, spiky, scaly, striking to look at and about three ounces in weight. For that is the enigma, most perch encountered being both prolific within the particular fishery and small, in short for seasoned anglers they become a nuisance. However, when the species grows to specimen size (1.2 kg or 2.6 lbs), it becomes highly sought after and a very welcome catch. The rub being, perch of this size are rare in Ireland, thus few people deliberately target them.

Which is why observing Owen Walsh use a tried and trusted method for attracting a large fresh water predator, drop minnow, became an interesting exercise. Ledgering a “bottle caught” minnow close to a waterside obstruction Owen initially encountered a good fish only to have it drop the bait. Five minutes later a lusty scrap ended with his friend Mark netting a beautiful perch weighing a pound plus. Spiky, striped, red finned, belligerent and totally impressive, Owen’s smile said it all, a great catch.

To cap the day, who should I stop and talk to only Dan Smith and Ken Garry, two of Ireland’s most committed perch fishers with a string of specimens after their names. The story of these firm friends can be read in chapter 10 of a cracking book published by Harper Fine Angling Books in 2011 called “The Biggest Fish of All” a collection of stories collated by the late Richard Chandaman of The Perch Fishers club. I challenge anyone not to seek out specimen perch after reading this book………

For over 30 years Jeremy Wade has traveled the world in search of large river fish such as the Mahseer of India and the Arapaima, a giant air breathing denizen of south American river systems such as the Amazon. Jeremy’s exploits, documented in TV series’ such as “Jungle Hooks (2002)” and more recently “River Monsters”, while entertaining also alert the viewer to the environmental pressures which our modern world places on these awesome creatures, many of which are now endangered due to habitat encroachment and over fishing by the ultimate predator, man.

Irish angling guide Gerard Smyth does not need to cast a line in exotic far away places, instead he trails his boat down to local rivers prospecting likely holes for the ultimate of Irish predatory fish, pike. On Friday 25th April last Gerard hit pay dirt while fishing a deep shelf he had recently discovered, an absolute leviathan of a pike weighing 39.lb 12.oz took his lure. Would that the River Monsters camera crew were there to witness the tail walking and mayhem that ensued before the great fish was eventually netted. Beating his previous PB of 36.lb 07.oz it just goes to show, fishing is about being in the right place at the right time with the correct bait, which essentially means “go pike fishing in Ireland and your dreams of a monster catch may well come true”, great stuff………